Del
Ric Wee fan club member 2014
By Henry Winter
When Roberto Martínez glances across at the Tottenham Hotspur dugout at Goodison Park on Sunday, the Everton manager will doubtless be relieved to see Jermain Defoe sitting there and not starting.
It was Defoe who orchestrated one of Martínez’s most painful moments as a manager, scoring five second-half goals in the 9-1 thumping of Wigan Athletic on Nov 22, 2009. One Spurs fan contacted 606 afterwards, lamenting that “we should have scored more”.
Typically dignified, Martínez congratulated Spurs afterwards, before admitting the result and performance were “unacceptable”. He promised to work hard on the training ground, organising the team better, particularly the defence. Six intense days of drilling later they faced eighth-placed Sunderland, who had Darren Bent flying and had just defeated Arsenal. Wigan won. They responded to Martínez’s words and tactics.
Now 40, the Spaniard is tougher than his public image. The perception of Martínez is of a nice man, a smiling, helpful figure in front of the cameras. He is undoubtedly a favourite of the media’s, partly because of his honesty and his eloquence (although without the big bang of headline material). He also flatters his inquisitors, occasionally slipping in a conspiratorial “as you know” into replies. He can end debates about ill-luck or superstition in football with a laughing "I was born on Friday the 13th" (in 1973).
There is a cunning streak to this charming man. He is ambitious. He can deal with setbacks. The graph of Martínez’s managerial career shows a steady rise since 2007, making his name at Swansea City, enhancing it at Wigan and now embarking on his biggest challenge, building on David Moyes’ legacy at Everton.
Any assessment of Martínez’s promising start at Goodison needs prefacing with the reminder that he has inherited a sound defence, so often the Achilles' heel of past Martínez teams. His Wigan side conceded 79 goals in that Premier League season of the Spurs thrashing, ending with a 42 goal difference. Wigan shipped 73 goals in being relegated last May.
Martínez seems focused far more on the creative, than the preventive. So being able to start such a usually reliable defence of Seamus Coleman, Phil Jagielka, Sylvain Distin and Leighton Baines in front of Tim Howard. There have been blips, and Manchester City exposed some frailties last month. It is an ageing backline and there is also the enduring fear of Baines following Moyes to Manchester United next year.
As well as a good young left back for the future, Martínez needs to augment elsewhere, probably a centre half to understudy Distin, a dynamic central midfielder, a winger and another forward, depending on Nikica Jelavic’s future. The issue, as ever with Everton, will be the scale of investment. How much will Martínez be allowed of the Marouane Fellaini money?
In Martínez, and this will be a concern for those fans who have campaigned against the lack of investment in the squad, Everton do not have a manager who pushes the board constantly for cash. He likes balancing the books, perhaps because of the memory of Motherwell’s administrators making him redundant in 2002, and delighting while at Wigan that some of the profit from selling Charles N’Zogbia in 2011 would be funnelled into plans for the training ground. At Everton, Finch Farm is excellent. The club’s major issue is the stadium.
His voyage from Springfield Park to Goodison has been a journey of self-development, learning all the while, ever since sitting in a bus filled with beer as a Wigan player in 1995 on an away trip to Runcorn. It was a slight culture shock but he survived and prospered, drawing on his inner strength. Martínez was a technical player, slightly ill-suited to the rigours of the lower leagues of the English professional game and during eight games in Scotland, but his passing principles remained strong, even when the tackles came flying in.
Martínez guided Wigan to the FA Cup last May, playing some attractive football against Manchester City, but he is no overnight sensation. By the time he joined Everton, Martínez had overseen 301 games. His man-management is one of his many strengths, seen and heard with his constant praise of players and his subtle rebuilding of Callum McManaman’s confidence after the controversy of the Wigan youngster’s ugly challenge on Newcastle United’s Massadio Haïdara.
Martínez’s motivational and coaching skills develops players. James McCarthy and Victor Moses improved under Martínez. N’Zogbia had two of the best seasons of his inconsistent career working for Martínez. Last week, Everton’s manager was quick to defend Gareth Barry publicly against Mark Lawrenson’s criticism.
He gives youth a chance, immediately showing faith in Ross Barkley, who has responded impressively. Few use the loan system as well as Martínez; Tom Cleverley grew as a player on loan at Wigan. Sir Alex Ferguson knew Cleverley would progress under Martínez. Barry, borrowed from City, has been reinvigorated by Martínez.
José Mourinho is well aware that Romelu Lukaku will return to Chelsea next year an even more polished predatory threat. Lukaku gives an insight into the qualities of the manager he calls “Mr Martínez”. After he was telephoned by the Everton manager, the Belgian rang his compatriots, Kevin Mirallas and Fellaini, to find out more about life under the Spaniard at Goodison. Fellaini played four times for Martínez before moving to Manchester United. Both spoke positively.
Lukaku has now scored five times in six appearances under Martínez. "My experience of him has been very good," said the striker. "I’m, like, a football freak. But he’s one as well. Every time when I notice something in a game I’ve seen at the weekend, so has he. Like when we were playing against Aston Villa I told him at one point I watched Roberto Soldado heading the ball (against Villa the previous week).
"The cameras gave a view from up in the stands and you could see how much space there was. I said: ‘Did you notice?’ He said: ‘Yes, and you have to play like this and like that’. It’s good working with someone like that, someone who has the same drive and ambition to go forward. We have a great squad, a great team and a great manager."
A student of the game, “Mr Martínez” understands that players are not robots but flesh and blood. “I deal with human beings Monday to Friday and I deal with footballers on Saturday,” Martínez once told me during a long conversation about his approach to management.
“They might have a problem with the missus, with the kids. I have to look after the human being so they are as good as they can be on Saturday. On match-day, you can’t be such a nice person because they will take the Mickey out of you. I lose my temper quite easily if people drop their standards.”
Players love being coached by Martínez because he makes training interesting, he makes them more accomplished professionals and because, in the words of Lukaku, “Roberto Martínez is playing the Spanish style of football.” His teams are invariably good to watch. The essence of Martínez’s coaching is giving players the platform and belief to win "one v ones" while also being aware of what is best in that situation for the team, basically encouraging self-expression within a framework. A lot of his sessions have "one v one" as their starting point.
All the time, Martínez talks to the players about decision-making, about when to commit to the attack or when to wait for numbers. He advises his defenders on the correct body shape, keeping low and balanced, when an attacker runs at them. From Swansea and Wigan and now Everton, players listen to and learn from their Spanish tutor.
